Technology has advanced; people discover something more efficient to use in order to ease the burden of man to work. We have something to be grateful than the recent generation that have suffered more in order to live. Nevertheless, why do we still observe violence, criminality, massacres, and so on? What could be the root cause of these problems? People should be happier than before. The problem does not only stress upon politics, economy, or maybe globalization but the people themselves. We suffer because of our depressions and tend to escape from our problems and cling to what we think is right. We engage into something for our satisfaction. The more we do it, the harder for us to escape from it. That is how addiction starts. It inflicts our very being and tries to destroy each part of it. Unknown to man, it discreetly appears in times of our depression. Satan knows how to play tricks, in which he imprisons every being who have pulled the thread. He knows our weaknesses. Many of us began our addictions out of curiosity. Some of us became involved because of a justifiable need for a prescription drug or as an act of deliberate rebellion. However, how can we escape from it?
Many of us began our addictions out of curiosity. Whatever our motive for starting these circumstances, we soon discovered that the addiction relieved more than just physical pain. It provided stimulation or numbed painful feelings or moods. It helped us avoid the problems we faced-or so we thought. For a while, we felt free of fear, worry, loneliness, discouragement, regret, or boredom. But because life is full of conditions that prompt these kind of feelings, we resorted to our addictions more and more often. Still, most of us failed to recognize or admit that we had lost the ability to resist and abstain on our own. According to Russell M. Nelson: "Addiction surrenders later freedom to choose. Through chemical means, one can literally become disconnected from his or her own will." As a result, we become victims on our own weakness because we fail to face it. We try to pretend we are in a good state of being. Rarely do people caught in addictive behaviors admit what they are. To deny the seriousness of our condition and to avoid detection and the consequences of our choices, we tried to minimize or hide our behaviors. We did not realize that by deceiving others and ourselves, we slipped deeper into our cravings. As our powerlessness over addiction increased, many of us found fault with family, friends, and even God. We plunged into greater and greater isolation, separating ourselves from others, especially from God. When we, as addicts, resorted to lies and secrecy, hoping to excuse ourselves or blame others, we weakened spiritually. A loved one, a doctor, a judge, or an ecclesiastical leader told us the truth we could no longer deny-the addiction is destroying our lives. When we honestly looked at the past, we admitted that nothing we had tried on our own had worked. We acknowledged that the addiction had gotten only worse. We realized how much our addictions had damaged relationships and robbed us of any sense of worth. At this point, we took the first step toward freedom and recovery by finding courage to admit that we were not just dealing with a problem or a bad habit. We finally admitted the truth that our lives had become unmanageable and that we needed help to overcome our addictions. The amazing thing about this honest realization of defeat was that recovery finally began. "I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things."
Even though people's addictions are different, some truths, like this one, never vary - nothing begins without an individual's will to make it begin. Freedom from addiction and cleanliness begin with a tiny flicker of will. People say individuals finally become willing to abstain when the pain of the problem becomes worse than the pain of the solution. Have you come to that point? If you have not and you continue in your addiction, you surely will reach that point because addiction is a progressive problem. Like a degenerative disease, it eats at your ability to function normally. The only requirement to begin recovery is the desire to stop participating in the addiction. If your desire is small and inconsistent today, don't worry. It will grow!
If we determine to avoid the evils of this world, we must feed our minds with the truth and righteousness found in the scriptures. We will grow closer to God and to each other as we read and ponder the scriptures together. God has provided a way in order for us to tackle the world with Him, including our depressions. God knows we would be helpless if we don't have His guidance. He knows all our weaknesses and strengths. We all know, it would be hard for us to take, but we can make it if we maintain our full trust in Him. Prayer will be the best solution for us, having real intent, God surely answers all of it, provided with scriptures as a daily guidance. By the power of His atonement for our sins, we can surpass all these troubles.
He knows it would be hard for us to start, but we must try to build our goal in order for us to escape from these chains of addictions. First of all we must admit that we ourselves, are powerless to overcome these addictions and that our life has become unmanageable. Secondly, we should believe that the power of God can restore us to complete our spiritual health. We must decide to turn our will and our life over to the care of God the Eternal Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Third, make a searching and fearless written moral inventory of ourselves. Admit to ourselves, to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, to proper priesthood authority, and to another person the exact nature of our doings - become entirely ready to have God remove all our character weaknesses, and we should humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings. Whenever possible, we must make a written list of persons we have harmed and become willing to make resolution to them. Seek through prayer and meditation to know the Lord's will and to have the power to carry it out. Lastly, having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we should apply or practice these principles we have learned.
